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Monday Inspiration – Victorian Architecture

In my new time travel release, Thoroughly Modern Amanda, the hero, Jack Lawton, is a construction worker who longs to refurbish a Victorian home for an elderly client. In fact, he loves the house so much, he wishes he could purchase it and fix it up for himself. But before he can start on the project, the woman dies and her heir wants to sell the land to a buyer who plans to demolish the old home.

Victorian architecture dominated during the years 1825-1900. Victorians used history, nature, geometry, theory and personal inspiration to create designs.

In the early Victorian period, homes and other structures were styled simply, but those built after the Civil War years grew complicated. Styles were combined as the designers and builders saw fit, creating a stunning visual effect. Post-Civil War styles in America were often elaborate and flamboyant, fueled by the emerging industrial society. “Victorian” architecture contained several styles, including Italianate, Second Empire, Stick-Eastlake, and Queen Anne.

The Victorians are accused by contemporary critics of employing needless clutter and complexity in their designs. And even as early as 1870 Europeans considered the architecture to be a failure.

However, not all critics were put off by the Victorian influence. A writer for the San Francisco Morning Call shared this critique on April 21, 1887:

“The architecture of San Francisco in our residence streets has no counterpart in the world, and we have no reason to be ashamed of it. It is light, airy and pleasing in style, and is to the architecture of Europe and the Eastern States as Spanish music is to the grand and heavier compositions of Wagner.”

By the end of the nineteenth century color became an essential ingredient. Prior to that time, structures were painted in neutral colors of white, beige or gray. Homes grew colorful by 1887 with lighter, brighter colors. These vibrant colors distinguish the features we associate with Victorian architecture today.

Many of these grand homes still stand to this day and have been transformed into bed and breakfast inns or hotels, with some open to the public as historic sites.

For photos and more info on Victorian architecture, visit these sites:

Enjoyed this accounting, Susan. I am so fortunate to have a video of my mother touring the Victorian house in San Francisco on Nob Hill where her grandmother lived. This grandmother of hers just happens to be my Lily Fox in my first story Night Angel. What I found interesting is that it was stacked -a couple of rooms on each floor and a winding staircase to get from one floor to another. It looks small from the outside but there is plenty of room built in this fashion.

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Victorian Romance

About the Author

Susan Macatee writes American Civil War romance, some with a paranormal twist. From time travels to vampire tales, her stories are always full of love and adventure.

She’s spent many years as a Civil War civilian reenactor with the 28th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment. She's a wife, mother of three grown sons, and has recently become a grandmother. She spends her free time inhaling books, watching baseball games and favorite old movies.